NFL Rumors: Panthers Benching Bryce Young Not David Tepper’s Call; Based on QB’s Play

Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRTFeatured Columnist IVSeptember 19, 2024

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Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper reportedly didn’t make the decision to bench second-year quarterback Bryce Young, though general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales would have certainly been aware of his thoughts on the matter.

“I don’t think [Tepper] pushed the button on this one,” SI.com’s Albert Breer said on Thursday’s edition of The Rich Eisen Show. “I think this has more to do with how Bryce was playing, but are they always aware of what he wants? Yes. I think like anything else, in any workplace, if you have an idea of what your boss wants then maybe you act accordingly sometimes.”

Breer said in talking to teams, a few things have “stuck out” about Young’s decline this season. Namely, he isn’t trying to get the ball downfield for deep shots, he’s struggling to see the middle of the field and his eyes are dropping in the pocket and is looking at the rush instead of his receivers and defensive backs.

He believes those issues led Canales and the Panthers to a pair of conclusions.

“No. 1, it’s probably best for Bryce to not be out there if that’s what’s happening,” Breer noted. “And then No. 2, you’re a first-year coach, two games in—can you sell Young being the best option for your team?”

If the answer to that question is no—which at this point, it appears to be—it’s far more difficult to convince a locker room, comprised of veterans who have their own careers to consider and their own desire to win in the short-term, that Young is the right person for the job.

His development may be paramount to the Panthers, but it isn’t necessarily the priority of his teammates fighting for their own futures.

And so veteran Andy Dalton will step in the starting lineup, at least for the time being.

“After watching the film and taking in all of the information I feel like Andy gives us the best chance to win,” Canales told reporters earlier in the week, adding that “right now the focus is on this week” when asked if Dalton would be the starter beyond Week 3.

As for Young, he wasn’t thrilled with the news but accepted the decision.

“It was not something that I necessarily I was expecting,” he told reporters. “Obviously, not something that was great to hear. But I respect coach Canales, I respect the organization. They made the decision. … Right now that’s the situation that it is. I have to do everything I can to help the team in whatever way I can.”